1822: Training and Development for Board Members

To enhance effective governance, the Board commits to continued training and development, both for the Board as a collaborative body and for its individual members. In addition to encouraging Board director participation at appropriate board conferences, workshops, and relevant professional association meetings, the Board commits to identifying and organizing collective and collaborative growth opportunities that optimize Board director participation, and that include the Superintendent as appropriate.

Open Government Training

School board directors must receive Open Government training no later than 90 days after they take their oath of office or assume their duties. They can take the training before they are sworn in or assume their duties of office. School board directors must also receive “refresher” training at intervals of no more than four years, so long as they remain on the school board. Open Government training is available from the Washington Attorney General’s Office (https://www.atg.wa.gov/opengovernmenttraining.aspx) and at the annual conference of the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA).

Governance Training

Beginning with the 2022 calendar year, each member of a board of directors shall complete a governance training program once per term of elected office. If the director is appointed or elected to a first term of office, the director must complete a governance training required above within two years of appointment or certification of the election in which they were elected. The governance training completed by directors must be aligned with the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards for school director governance developed and provided by the Washington State School Directors’ Association.

The District will maintain an on-going record that tracks the completion of the required open government and governance trainings by its directors.

Cross References

• 0130 - Equity and Accountability
• 1820 - Board Self-Assessment
• 1810 - Annual Governance Goals and Objectives
• 1731 - Board Member Expenses
• 1005 - Key Functions of the Board

Legal References

• RCW 28A.343.100 Governance training program
• RCW 28A.345.120 School director governance-Cultural Competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion – Training
• RCW 42.30.205 Training
• RCW 42.56.150 Training – Local Elected and Statewide
• RCW 28A.343.360 Oath of Office
• RCW 40 Public Documents, Records, and Publications
• RCW 40.14 Preservation and Destruction of Public Records
• RCW 42.30 Open Public Meetings Act 
• RCW 42.56 Public Records Act
• RCW 42.56.580 Public Records Officers